So I've finally popped this game in for a proper playthrough (while still continuing with Flashback). What can I say? It's awesome!

Okay, I don't like how your character moves like he's on ice, but it's not hard to adjust to and even on medium difficulty, I've found the game isn't even half as hard as it's said to be. The ship's graphics look more amazing than I'd have thought any 3D game could look on the 3DO, the action is intense and fun, and the level design is utterly unpredictable and sprawling.

Just out of curiosity, how many levels does PO'ed have? There don't seem to be any walkthroughs for the game out there.

Also, any thoughts on whether the 3DO or PlayStation version is better? Ewhac argued in favor of the 3DO version due to the texturing, but I read a contemporary review which says the game is much easier to control with the PlayStation controller, and given how most actions require a button combination in the 3DO version, I suspect the reviewer is right.

Awesome game, I'm a big fan. The colors and textures are better on the 3DO, on the Playstation they're appear a little washed out. I don't remember how many levels, but there's many and some of them are HUGE.

I haven't made much progress since my last post. Two reasons for this. One is that, at one point during "Jump" (level 2), I pushed the button to confirm a save, and instead of saving it booted me back to the title screen. When I opened up the load menu, I found (and confirmed via the 3DO Game Guru's memory manager) that my save had been erased! That is one nasty glitch. So in addition to having to replay the game from the beginning, I've been backing up my saves with a compressed file using the Game Guru in order to save my progress in case this happens again. Anyone know if this is a rare, likely one-time glitch, or a common problem?

The second reason is that I can't figure out how to get up into the rafters in "Jump", and I'm reluctant to leave the level without doing so, especially since I already did it once by accident (before my save got erased).

I really do like "Jump". It's unreal how well the game runs even with such a wide open area. The draw distance is so long that aiming is actually a challenge - how many early first person shooters can you say that about? It's nice to finally have a gun, though both the frying pan and the kitchen knives were hilarious fun while they lasted. I like managing ammunition, and that little electric zap is quite satisfying. The Amazons are cool-looking villains, reminding me a little of the Spider Mastermind from Doom. Most of all, though, the puzzle where you activate holograms and shoot them is frickin' brilliant. When I first started seeing them I thought the holograms were a graphical glitch. I had a wonderful "Ah ha!" moment when I finally figured it out.

Now I'm really cooking with this game! (Pun not intended but welcome nonetheless. ) I cheated a bit and consulted ewhac's Let's Play to see how to get to the top of "Jump", though I figured out how to get the jetpack from there on my own. Blitzed through another six levels and loving it.

"Sponge" took a bit of adjusting to, but it's enjoyable and not difficult once you get the hang of using the jetpack. Finding the hidden flamethrower was fun, though I'm disappointed that they put it in an area where it's not at all useful.

"Core" seemed like a huge jump in difficulty at first: swarms of enemies everywhere, no place to hide, and precious few health pickups in sight. However, after a dozen or so attempts I got the level figured out. If you just avoid certain enemies, take out the others in as small bunches as possible, and get the goodies from the secret wall niches it's not too bad at all. The long central pit design is pretty unique for the time, and makes a great place to play with the jetpack. Getting into the core itself for the first time was a real trip, too.

"Shuttle" was a quickie but a goodie. A neat little design, and some fun in-the-air combat with the Wailer ripping through enemy wings.

"Tombs" was... weird. But not in a bad way. After navigating through the strange aerial maze and blasting through the Amazons I nearly ran right into the exit, but I was concerned that there were all these rockets lying around but no rocket launcher yet. I checked the map, realized I had yet to explore a whole two thirds of the level , and suddenly remembered those two teleports near the beginning of the level that I hadn't gotten around to using. After fun blasting aplenty, I had my nice new rocket launcher, which is pretty sweet, even though the rocket launcher seems a lot less useful in PO'ed than in other first person shooters due to the generally wide open levels.

Next came "Spiral", which is labeled "secret level" though I'm stumped as to how it can be secret when I got there through the only exit from "Tombs" that I could find. Has anyone managed to complete the game without accessing this level? Either way, it's easily my least favorite level thus far. I've said it many times before, but first person platforming does not work, and this level is particularly strong proof of that. At least I got an amazing double-ammo-and-fuel upgrade out of it.

And "Power Plant" made up for "Spiral" to a large extent. The setup is excellent, and I honestly wasn't expecting to find myself in a boss fight despite the level being an ideal boss arena. I'm a big fan of boss fights, so taking on Arnie was very satisfying. I love how beating him opens up a stackload of goodies near the level exit. Also, taking on a replicating slime with a rocket launcher is quite an experience.

I've only just started "Pompous Medium Rare", but already it seems annoyingly hard. I found the first room of "Pompous" to be an inordinately difficult place to start the game, and this has turned up the heat a few notches with those dangerous new Rovers. Wish me luck.

CasetheCorvetteman wrote:Its been years since i played this, but i do remember a few things. I found the flame thrower good for getting rid of the green slime enemies.

Really? I had instinctively thought the same thing, but when I tried it out it didn't seem to work too well. Maybe I misjudged how tough the slimes are.

I got through "Pompous Medium Rare" very quickly. Once I frantically fought my way through the initial rooms and into the hospital, it occurred to me that I had no reason to explore this level since the pickups seemed to be exactly the same as the original "Pompous" (i.e. nothing but health). In other words, now that I had accessed the infinite health, the only thing left to do around the place is to risk my life and waste ammunition. So I just ran past the rovers and rocketed into the level exit.

I'm wondering now if that wasn't a mistake, since "Soleri" is loaded with meatball ammunition and I have yet to acquire the meatball launcher. Could it have been hidden in "Pompous Medium Rare"? To boot, getting out of "Soleri" is proving to be a real brain teaser. Not that I'm complaining; once I got the hang of this level, I've found it a very enjoyable place to cruise around while I mull over how to open up the exit. Rocketing in a leisurely circle around the level's main structure, while the multitude of aliens on the ground shoot at me in vain, I experienced one of those moments where you almost forget that you're playing a video game. It feels more like a few dreams I've had.

PO'ed has always been one of my favorite games for the 3DO. Just an all around bizarre FPS in the first place. Weird enemies and weird over all stuff going on. I got pretty far back in the day, and getting the jet pack was so fun. Some of the levels are beyond massive though. Oh, and I also personally prefer the 3DO version to the Playstation one. Another example of the ports not quite feeling right on other consoles.

This is a stick up! Put all of your 3DO games in the bag and nobody gets hurt!

CasetheCorvetteman wrote:Pompous Tartar is about the same again, just a bit more difficult.

Not sure if there was another weapon hidden in Medium Rare, did you look down where you find the meat cleaver in Pompous?

No, I didn't. Regretting that now!

I finally had to give up and consult a YouTube vid to figure out how to exit "Soleri". The solution is really kind of random so I don't feel bad about that.

After the difficulty of that level (surrounded by 10 Arnies right from the start, sheesh!), "Ledges" is a refreshingly relaxed level, a great breather while having a cool layout with ample room for exploration. Even the Torques, the little motorized things that run around the floor, aren't that scary. More meatball ammunition lying around, so in hopes of finding the meatball launcher I persevered in checking out the level's nooks and crannys until I'd found not one but two new weapons, the drill and the pulse gun. The drill is funny to have, but I'm finding it hard to determine how much if any damage I'm doing with it. And what's with the hand waving in front of the screen?

Looks like the pulse gun really is the best weapon in the game. I hate how the idle image blocks off the right edge of the screen, but the gun more than makes up for this with the sheer amount of hurt it dishes out at high speed. Love it! And it even comes fully loaded!

"Alley" was a pretty intense level. Not really difficult, though, thanks to the plentiful pickups, and I finally got my hands on the meatball launcher! Have to say that I'm a bit disappointed with it. It deals solid damage, but the ricochet feature seems pretty useless so far, leaving it as basically just a second rocket launcher. Maybe I just need to find the right environment to use it in. I again finished this level with full health and pretty much full ammunition.

Those mantas are a real nuisance, though, aren't they? I mean, they're not unfair, but drawing a bead on them, especially in an open area, can be a nightmare. They take a whole bunch of hits to kill, which just exasperates it further.

PO'ed was unfortunately not released on the Japanese market.
However, that game is a trial version about the appendix of the magazine, I can play a little bit.
I thought that envy, when everyone saw how happy talking about that game.

Because I make a note using translation software, I think that it becomes a poor English sentence.
I'm sorry.

If there is rude expression, please point it out.
Thanking you in advance.

PO'ed was unfortunately not released on the Japanese market.
However, that game is a trial version about the appendix of the magazine, I can play a little bit.
I thought that envy, when everyone saw how happy talking about that game.

Was the playstation version available?

The man that beat the self proclaimed "best in the world" at The Need For Speed...

PO'ed was unfortunately not released on the Japanese market.
However, that game is a trial version about the appendix of the magazine, I can play a little bit.
I thought that envy, when everyone saw how happy talking about that game.

Was the playstation version available?

Thank you for your reply.
I have it.
However, having a 3DO version has a big meaning.

Because I make a note using translation software, I think that it becomes a poor English sentence.
I'm sorry.

If there is rude expression, please point it out.
Thanking you in advance.

CasetheCorvetteman wrote:The hand wipes the blood away when you use the drill!

Ahhh... Now it makes sense.

Good to hear from you again, Fujisan! Sorry to hear POed didn't come out in Japan. But can't you play the North American version on your 3DO? The game has almost no text, and the 3DO isn't region locked.

After considerable struggles, I made it through "Canyon". The areas in that level are so huge that the 3D map is useless for getting around, and I kept on winding up in places I'd already been to. Dealing with the mantas in that huge an area was a pain, too.

"Highrise" was lots of fun. You can make a quick run for the exit without problems, but I enjoyed going through the building level-by-level, trashing the hordes of enemies, and grabbing the goodies. Also, finally an area where the ricochet ability of the meatball launcher comes in handy! Since this first discovery I've been having a blast with this weapon, now one of my favorites in the game. It's great when you come to a corner, fire a half dozen meatballs at the right angle to see if anyone's waiting around the bend, and are rewarded with the sounds of burning flesh and screams of pain.

"Rapa Nui" was incredibly tough, both in combat and puzzles. It looked so simple at a glance, just one big area with turrets positioned on monuments and robos flying around. Once I'd dealt with the moderately tricky foes, I roamed around the area, shooting walls, examining the upper tiers. Took me ages before I found the warp to the other area of the level, and after that, almost as long to stumble on the secret entrance to the basement area. And then that little warp room overcrowded with rovers... oy. Almost impossible. After all that, Max is a incredibly slick-looking but wimpy boss.

Unlike the last Pompous level, I lingered a while in "Pompous Tartar". It occurred to me that with the infinite health, I can just let all the Cyclopes blow themselves up on me and thus not waste any ammo. As for the slimes, the level gives you enough rockets and narrow spaces that you can wipe one out with just a few shots in a couple seconds, a real change from the terror that the slimes usually are! And now that I've met the Cyclopes, the only enemy left in the manual is the final boss. I must be nearing the end!

"Gate" was... strange. The setup was cool, like a scene out of a modern high-budget sci-fi action flick, but in terms of practical gameplay you have to ask why. It creates dramatic slowdown, and there's obviously no reward to be had in actually duking it out with these legions of powerful enemies rather than running straight to the exit. And then there's the way that the jetpack won't ascend past a certain point. There no in-game explanation for this, and it presents a rather awkward barrier to leaving.

I got through most of "Tiryns", which has a nifty layout but is much too tedious with its bunches of enemies every two steps and the way most of the pickups are bunched together in just a couple places, making you have to keep going back and forth. And then I got the "load game deletes your save" glitch for a third time! Arrrrgh! I've had to take a few days off from the game to get over that frustration; my alternate save was last updated back at the beginning of "Gate" if I remember right. At this point I'm incredulous that nobody caught this glitch during playtesting.

CasetheCorvetteman wrote:The hand wipes the blood away when you use the drill!

Ahhh... Now it makes sense.

Good to hear from you again, Fujisan! Sorry to hear POed didn't come out in Japan. But can't you play the North American version on your 3DO? The game has almost no text, and the 3DO isn't region locked.
g.

Thank you ! Martin

However I got screen sickness just by playing the trial version.

Because I make a note using translation software, I think that it becomes a poor English sentence.
I'm sorry.

If there is rude expression, please point it out.
Thanking you in advance.

CasetheCorvetteman wrote:The hand wipes the blood away when you use the drill!

Ahhh... Now it makes sense.

Good to hear from you again, Fujisan! Sorry to hear POed didn't come out in Japan. But can't you play the North American version on your 3DO? The game has almost no text, and the 3DO isn't region locked.

After considerable struggles, I made it through "Canyon". The areas in that level are so huge that the 3D map is useless for getting around, and I kept on winding up in places I'd already been to. Dealing with the mantas in that huge an area was a pain, too.

"Highrise" was lots of fun. You can make a quick run for the exit without problems, but I enjoyed going through the building level-by-level, trashing the hordes of enemies, and grabbing the goodies. Also, finally an area where the ricochet ability of the meatball launcher comes in handy! Since this first discovery I've been having a blast with this weapon, now one of my favorites in the game. It's great when you come to a corner, fire a half dozen meatballs at the right angle to see if anyone's waiting around the bend, and are rewarded with the sounds of burning flesh and screams of pain.

"Rapa Nui" was incredibly tough, both in combat and puzzles. It looked so simple at a glance, just one big area with turrets positioned on monuments and robos flying around. Once I'd dealt with the moderately tricky foes, I roamed around the area, shooting walls, examining the upper tiers. Took me ages before I found the warp to the other area of the level, and after that, almost as long to stumble on the secret entrance to the basement area. And then that little warp room overcrowded with rovers... oy. Almost impossible. After all that, Max is a incredibly slick-looking but wimpy boss.

Unlike the last Pompous level, I lingered a while in "Pompous Tartar". It occurred to me that with the infinite health, I can just let all the Cyclopes blow themselves up on me and thus not waste any ammo. As for the slimes, the level gives you enough rockets and narrow spaces that you can wipe one out with just a few shots in a couple seconds, a real change from the terror that the slimes usually are! And now that I've met the Cyclopes, the only enemy left in the manual is the final boss. I must be nearing the end!

"Gate" was... strange. The setup was cool, like a scene out of a modern high-budget sci-fi action flick, but in terms of practical gameplay you have to ask why. It creates dramatic slowdown, and there's obviously no reward to be had in actually duking it out with these legions of powerful enemies rather than running straight to the exit. And then there's the way that the jetpack won't ascend past a certain point. There no in-game explanation for this, and it presents a rather awkward barrier to leaving.

I got through most of "Tiryns", which has a nifty layout but is much too tedious with its bunches of enemies every two steps and the way most of the pickups are bunched together in just a couple places, making you have to keep going back and forth. And then I got the "load game deletes your save" glitch for a third time! Arrrrgh! I've had to take a few days off from the game to get over that frustration; my alternate save was last updated back at the beginning of "Gate" if I remember right. At this point I'm incredulous that nobody caught this glitch during playtesting.

Which was the level where you have to use a path to get to the top and cant just get up there with the jetpack? There was a bit of a trick there, but id have to play it again to know how i did it.

The man that beat the self proclaimed "best in the world" at The Need For Speed...

CasetheCorvetteman wrote:Which was the level where you have to use a path to get to the top and cant just get up there with the jetpack? There was a bit of a trick there, but id have to play it again to know how i did it.

That one is "Spiral", the first "secret level". Let me know if you figure out the trick; going through that level the regular way was a pain in the butt!

And yeah, I can't believe I forgot to report back here, but I did finish the game. It's been too long for me to continue with the copious notes seen in my previous posts (not that I think anyone here was hoping for more), but I enjoyed most of the remaining levels, "Island" in particular. Oh, and the guided missile launcher has to be one of the best weapons in any first person shooter. So much fun, and even once you get the hang of it, its usage continues to provide an engaging challenge with great rewards when you manage to hit your target.

The only part I disliked is the tremendous glitchiness of "Lattice". I hit every switch in the level, and the center room still wouldn't open up! In the meantime, I stumbled on a glitch which teleported me into the center room! I consulted the only walkthrough on PO'ed out there only to find that the player had not only used that glitch to get into the center room, but used another glitch to reach the exit without destroying the statue in the center room. I sadly resigned myself to exploiting the glitch to get into the center room, but gladly took on the challenge of destroying the statue.

I was a bit disappointed that, after all this game does to push the 3DO's graphical capabilities to their limits, there's no big impressive final boss. It's also surprising that the final level is set up such that even an "inside the box" player like myself can quickly realize that you can just fly up to a comfortable perch and take out the boss with guided missiles at your leisure... But make no mistake, I had great fun with it.

The ending is... really disturbing. I like black humor as much as the next guy, but this went a bit too far, and more importantly, it's completely out of the blue. I'd love to know what the developers were thinking when they came up with this - or maybe I wouldn't.